BeamNG.drive has had one of its best years ever regarding player numbers, updates and new content in 2024. But what could benefit the title moving into 2025?
There is no doubt that the developers behind BeamNG.drive are some of the most interactive and community-focused people you will find in the sim racing and racing game world. Their updates are always good quality, and with the title having come a long way already, what could be changed or added for 2025?
The new and improved lighting and shadows in BeamNG
Moving into 2025, BeamNG's tyre model should be revised and adjusted to include both realistic damage and new features such as realistic punctures and delamination. In its current form, the tyres simply lose sections of the graphic, making them look like a shooting range target after a Marine unloads a clip into it.
Ibishu Hopper's massive off-road tyres. Image: BeamNG.drive
With competition constantly evolving and moving the goalposts of what is possible, BeamNG has some catching up to do. iRacing for example, in their upcoming December update, is creating another new version of their tyre model with the potential for realistic punctures. BeamNG has a much more complex base model, so having these features spread out over 2025 would be a fantastic addition to the sim.
A further addition to the tyre model that lots of sim racers especially have been crying out for, is a tyre heat map. Having this could be a game changer for how people push and use their tyres when racing in BeamNG. Damage to the tyre caused by excessive heat and excursion would also be a fantastic addition for 2025.
Drag tyres are still not deformable under heavy load, could we see that finally change in 2025? Image: BeamNG
With more racing events starting to spring up in the online BeamMP, this is certainly something that needs to be looked into in the future if racing is to be taken seriously.
Finally, delamination. When a tyre delaminates it falls apart, eventually coming free from the wheel entirely. Having this feature in BeamNG would certainly revolutionise how open-wheel racing is treated as well as the blossoming short oval community racing.
Formula 4 crash, Hirochi Raceway. A better tyre damage model would tell the story of how this crash happened.
An addition that a lot of the community has been asking for is scratches and smaller damage implications for the more fender-bender-style accidents. This also applies to the world objects involved in accidents. If you crash a truck at 70 miles per hour on the highway into the reservation barriers, it would be really good to have some damage shown on the barrier.
A multi-ton big rig hitting a barrier should at the least crack and break it. This is a much-needed addition for BeamNG
This is, of course, a lot harder to implement than it might seem, especially on the custom-made game engine that makes BeamNG so unique. However, It is not impossible. A small handful of modded barriers, tyre stacks and miscellaneous items are available for download on the official mod repository that deform when hit by a vehicle.
Jungle Rock Island is the perfect application for these deformable mud ruts and pools. Image: BeamNG
An example of an off-road exploration application could be mud ruts and pools on some of Jungle Rock Island's trails. These could be few and far between, but at crucial parts of a trail, a deformable obstacle that could potentially catch you out would be a fantastic addition. The best example of this application would be the Snowrunner and Mudrunner titles. These sims do a great job of showing what can be done with deformable terrain.
The second application of deformable terrain would come in the form of organised materials. What this means is that when a map loads for the player, pre-determined sections of map materials are deformable and ready to go without the player having to set anything up. A racing application for this could be gravel traps. If you dip a wheel into the gravel, the following lap there would be gravel marbles on the circuit.
Animation of gravel flying already exists in BeamNG, could we see an evolution of this?
Moving back to the iRacing example from earlier, the addition of spilling gravel and stones is what that sim is adding in December. There is no reason why BeamNG could not add that element as well in 2025. The movable materials could also be used for loading up lorries and trucks in the future for those who love to deliver and cruise the highways in career mode. The opportunities are endless.
What do you want to see changed or altered within BeamNG.drive in 2025? What would you change first? Let us know in the comments down below and join the discussion in our BeamNG.drive forum!
There is no doubt that the developers behind BeamNG.drive are some of the most interactive and community-focused people you will find in the sim racing and racing game world. Their updates are always good quality, and with the title having come a long way already, what could be changed or added for 2025?
The new and improved lighting and shadows in BeamNG
Tyre Model
With tyre models constantly evolving, BeamNG is certainly not a market leader at the end of 2024. Whilst the simulator does excel in many areas, the tyre model is unfortunately not at the forefront regarding its sim racing application. Offroad simulation is much better, but still not where the developers would want it to be.Moving into 2025, BeamNG's tyre model should be revised and adjusted to include both realistic damage and new features such as realistic punctures and delamination. In its current form, the tyres simply lose sections of the graphic, making them look like a shooting range target after a Marine unloads a clip into it.
Ibishu Hopper's massive off-road tyres. Image: BeamNG.drive
With competition constantly evolving and moving the goalposts of what is possible, BeamNG has some catching up to do. iRacing for example, in their upcoming December update, is creating another new version of their tyre model with the potential for realistic punctures. BeamNG has a much more complex base model, so having these features spread out over 2025 would be a fantastic addition to the sim.
A further addition to the tyre model that lots of sim racers especially have been crying out for, is a tyre heat map. Having this could be a game changer for how people push and use their tyres when racing in BeamNG. Damage to the tyre caused by excessive heat and excursion would also be a fantastic addition for 2025.
Drag tyres are still not deformable under heavy load, could we see that finally change in 2025? Image: BeamNG
With more racing events starting to spring up in the online BeamMP, this is certainly something that needs to be looked into in the future if racing is to be taken seriously.
Finally, delamination. When a tyre delaminates it falls apart, eventually coming free from the wheel entirely. Having this feature in BeamNG would certainly revolutionise how open-wheel racing is treated as well as the blossoming short oval community racing.
Formula 4 crash, Hirochi Raceway. A better tyre damage model would tell the story of how this crash happened.
Visual Damage Changes
Staying on the subject of damage, BeamNG is known for its intricate soft-body damage model. Whether it be the famous crash compilations or realistic online racing and rally accidents, BeamNG is the place to go for damage simulation. The big crashes certainly do look spectacular, but a lot of the time the small bumps and scraps can often go without visual punishment.An addition that a lot of the community has been asking for is scratches and smaller damage implications for the more fender-bender-style accidents. This also applies to the world objects involved in accidents. If you crash a truck at 70 miles per hour on the highway into the reservation barriers, it would be really good to have some damage shown on the barrier.
A multi-ton big rig hitting a barrier should at the least crack and break it. This is a much-needed addition for BeamNG
This is, of course, a lot harder to implement than it might seem, especially on the custom-made game engine that makes BeamNG so unique. However, It is not impossible. A small handful of modded barriers, tyre stacks and miscellaneous items are available for download on the official mod repository that deform when hit by a vehicle.
Deformable Terrains
Having a fully deformable terrain may sound like an unrealistic ask for the development team. However, having surfaces and sections of the maps could revolutionise the racing and offroad exploration side of BeamNG.drive.Jungle Rock Island is the perfect application for these deformable mud ruts and pools. Image: BeamNG
An example of an off-road exploration application could be mud ruts and pools on some of Jungle Rock Island's trails. These could be few and far between, but at crucial parts of a trail, a deformable obstacle that could potentially catch you out would be a fantastic addition. The best example of this application would be the Snowrunner and Mudrunner titles. These sims do a great job of showing what can be done with deformable terrain.
The second application of deformable terrain would come in the form of organised materials. What this means is that when a map loads for the player, pre-determined sections of map materials are deformable and ready to go without the player having to set anything up. A racing application for this could be gravel traps. If you dip a wheel into the gravel, the following lap there would be gravel marbles on the circuit.
Animation of gravel flying already exists in BeamNG, could we see an evolution of this?
Moving back to the iRacing example from earlier, the addition of spilling gravel and stones is what that sim is adding in December. There is no reason why BeamNG could not add that element as well in 2025. The movable materials could also be used for loading up lorries and trucks in the future for those who love to deliver and cruise the highways in career mode. The opportunities are endless.
What do you want to see changed or altered within BeamNG.drive in 2025? What would you change first? Let us know in the comments down below and join the discussion in our BeamNG.drive forum!
